Guo Huaibing arrived at the granary, only to find that the granaries throughout the capital did not have much grain stored. He immediately returned and informed the Fourth Prince of this.
Sure enough, a few days later, someone reported to the Fourth Prince at the morning court that a plague had broken out again in Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan Province. The Fourth Prince was shocked and asked, "Didn't we already order the people of Kaifeng Prefecture to open the granaries and distribute grain? How come a plague broke out again in just a few days?"
"Your Majesty, during famines, some people are always desperate and will eat anything, getting sick and poisoned from contaminated food. In addition, the recent hot weather has led to an increasing number of disaster victims gathering, so the outbreak of plague is no coincidence..."
The Fourth Prince, slightly angered, suddenly straightened up, pointed to the sky, and said, "I think the desires of the people are greater than the heavens! The so-called excessive number of disaster victims and the outbreak of plague are not coincidences. In my opinion, it is all due to the insatiable greed of local officials who, for their own benefit, disregard the lives of the people..."
Faced with the Fourth Master's furious outburst, everyone lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound!
The Fourth Prince stood up and angrily asked, "Just how severe is the disaster in Kaifeng Prefecture? How many people are affected?"
The official from the Ministry of Revenue wiped his sweat, came out trembling, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the specific situation has not yet been reported. As for the extent of the disaster, this humble servant only knows the general outline..."
With a loud "thud," the Fourth Prince threw down the memorial he was holding, hitting the man on the head. The man immediately knelt down, crying out, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This humble subject deserves to die... This humble subject deserves to die..."
The Fourth Prince glared down at those below and roared, "The disaster victims are living in dire straits, and you all tell me you know nothing about the situation? You're utterly incompetent!"
For a moment, the court was silent. It was an old minister who stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This is not the time to be angry. The most important thing is to find a way to stabilize the disaster situation..."
Fourth Master took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said politely, "You are right, sir!"
The old minister continued, "Your Majesty, I request that you immediately send people down to investigate the disaster situation. Only by understanding the specific circumstances can we formulate a countermeasure..."
Fourth Master nodded, thinking the same thing, but he simply couldn't find a suitable person.
Just then, Hongshi suddenly stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens and volunteer to go to Kaifeng to investigate the disaster situation..."
Fourth Master was taken aback, staring at Hongshi, and hesitated before asking, "You?"
Fourth Prince hadn't expected Hongshi to volunteer. Disaster relief was no easy task; there was the risk of riots and even death. Historically, no one in the court, regardless of rank, was willing to take on disaster relief duties!
Fourth Master had never placed any hope in Hongshi, especially given Hongshi's recent dealings with Eighth Master, which further diminished his expectations. Therefore, Fourth Master was quite surprised that Hongshi would step forward at this time. Recalling Lanqin's words, he realized he might have truly misunderstood Hongshi, and felt a slight surge of emotion.
"Father, I am no longer a child. At this time, Father needs manpower to help. I am willing to go to provide disaster relief and help Father quell the disaster..." Hongshi said with conviction.
Fourth Master looked at Hongshi and whispered, "Do you know how hard it is to do disaster relief?"
Hongshi smiled and said, "It's because I know that disaster relief is very important to Father Emperor. All the people of the Great Qing are Father Emperor's subjects. It is my honor to be able to save the common people for Father Emperor. No matter how hard or dangerous it is, I am not afraid..."
Fourth Master nodded with satisfaction, which was tacit approval of Hongshi's request.
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